When Stranger Things premiered on Netflix last year, no one really had any idea what to expect. Certainly there were few who could have imagined the show, its characters and its young cast instantly connecting with the audience the way that they have.

Season 2 may not be making its debut until October 31st, but that that doesn't mean there isn't a lot going on behind the scenes or with the people involved with the show. What follows is a look at some recent headlines from the world of Stranger Things.

Scary Times in Hawkins, Indiana

The scare factor of Stranger Things’ second season is going to be considerably higher than season one. Producer Shawn Levy recently noted during a podcast, “I’m so forbidden to say very much, but Will Byers is very much at the center of several intersecting challenges and threats in season two. And I think the overall forces of evil that are inherent in season two make the Demogorgon [of season one] look quaint in retrospect.”

Whatever is in store for audiences, it seems that the cast hasn’t been brought up to date either. In an interview with the Huffington Post, Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair) referred to the show’s second season trailer monster reveal, commenting, “I didn’t even know what that was either. When I saw that, I was, like, ‘What the heck is that? There is something I do not know about the script.’ So that’s definitely good, because it makes my reaction even better — for me to have a real reaction. I have no idea what that is.”

Eleven Could've Been a Mutant

Did you know that Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven) actually auditioned for the role of mutant Laura Kinney (better known as X-23) in Logan? The role eventually went to Dafne Keen, but Millie had a great time auditioning for Hugh Jackman (Wolvervine) and director James Mangold. Speaking to Variety, she commented, “I was, like, ‘It’s going to be amazing, I’m going to really prepare.’ And I sat in my room reading the lines. Honestly, for me, I felt like an actor in the audition room, hitting Hugh Jackman, and James Mangold sitting right in front of me.”

Speaking of Millie, she also delighted audiences at Argentina Comic Con when she took to the stage and performed her version of Katy Perry’s “Firework.”

Jim Hopper — On a Hero's Journey?

Season 2 is likely to bring a lot of changes to the various characters, and that includes police chief Jim Hopper, who’s played by David Harbour. In talking to Deadline, the actor explains that Hopper’s journey as a person will pick up following the events of the season one finale.

“That breath he takes where he saves the child at the end is like the first breath he’s felt in a long time,” he says. “He breathes again as Will wakes up. I think the journey, then, has to be something different in season two. And it is very different. You get to peel the onion back more and more as the seasons go on, and learn what these people are made of.”

In the case of Hopper, the season begins with him having a kind of reawakening as he is perceived as something of a hero. “We start with the delusions of what that might bring to you, and the fantasy life that might be dangerous. What does that mean for him going forward?… What I love about Hopper is that he’s not a cartoon. He does come up against real life.”

Stranger Things — The Appeal

While talking to Gold Derby, producer Shawn Levy admitted that 21 Labs, his production company, was not the first to be approached with the show. While he gets it, he's also grateful that they eventually did get together with the Duffers.

“The conventional wisdom for years has been something with kids really needs to be for kids,” he replied. “No one wants something with kids that isn’t for kids."

The point is that the show may focus on kids, but it's far from a kids' show in the traditional sense. "It was not an obvious marketplace kind of decision," Levy noted. "I just loved this script, I really dug the Duffer Brothers and we tried and set out to make something cool.”